Overdose awareness event to shed light on substance abuse prevention

Adobe Stock

OGDEN — Weber County is the third highest in the state when it comes to drug overdose deaths, whether from prescription opioids or illicit substances.

In order to bring about awareness and stomp out the stigma surrounding substance use disorder, the OgdenCan Substance Prevention Committee will host “A Light to Remember” for International Overdose Awareness Day on Thursday.

The event will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the USU Botanical Gardens, 1750 Monroe Blvd. The public is invited to attend.

OgdenCan is made up of a network of agencies, individuals and organizations working together to improve education and awareness about substance use and misuse in the community and reduce the toll of such behavior. Some of those include the Weber-Morgan Health Department, Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness, Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital and Weber Human Services.

“One strong protective factor of substance use and suicidality is a sense of belonging or feeling connected,” said Bryce Sherwood, community health division director at the Weber-Morgan Health Department. “We hope people will take this opportunity to participate in decorating a luminary, learning more about naloxone, participating in the walk of remembrance and a memorial wall, and listening to our guest speakers share how their lives have been impacted by opioids. We may grieve alone, but by connecting, we can heal together.”

According to the Weber-Morgan Health Department’s Community Health Assessment Opioid Report, there is some encouragement. For instance, the number of deaths in the county declined slightly from 2018 to 2019, the most recent statistics available, and the number of prescriptions written in Weber County decreased by 40% from 2016 to 2021. Nearly 47% of those admitted for treatment in 2022 said they had first used drugs other than alcohol before the age of 18.

“So if we can help our young people build that resilience and navigate through their challenges in a healthy way, whether it be physical or mental problems, we can help them overcome those challenges before they hit adulthood,” Sherwood said.

According to the report, heroin was the No. 1 cause of drug overdose death in 2021, followed by natural and semi-synthetic opioids, methadone, other synthetic narcotics, cocaine and other unspecified narcotics. Drug overdose deaths were higher in males than females.

Sherwood said it’s not uncommon these days for many people to feel the impact of overdose and misuse of substances. It can be felt across families, friends, neighbors, co-workers and other acquaintances in the community.

“A person can become addicted to an opioid within seven days,” he said. “If those prescriptions are not closely monitored, it can lead to problems. We have worked closely with Intermountain Health and they have a systemwide push to take a deliberate approach in providing education, asking the right questions and reducing the number of prescriptions being handed out. For instance, instead of giving someone a 45-day supply, they’ll give them just enough to get through the worst of the pain. They have done a tremendous job in reducing those numbers of prescription drugs being filled.”

Patrick Cox, program director with Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness, or USARA, said the event will give people an opportunity to remember and celebrate those who have been lost or almost lost to overdose.

“Many people’s lives have been impacted and we hope to provide people with information and resources in a way to reduce the stigma and offer them a path to recovery,” he said. “We will have a booth educating people about the use of naloxone and will be handing out the medication as well.”

Cox said many times when people run out of resources to obtain prescription opioids, they turn to the streets and seek out drugs such as heroin, which could be laced with dangerous fillers. He said USARA is a free program, located at 893 24th St., Suite 100, and is open to anyone seeking help to become drug free. The agency also hands out Narcan, which can be used in an overdose emergency situation. USARA will have a booth at the event on Thursday, providing education on what to look for in an overdose and how to use Narcan.

“We hope people will attend, whether they have lost a loved one, are struggling themselves or dealing with someone in their life who is struggling,” Cox said. “We will have luminaries people can write names and messages on, speakers, videos and a wall of remembrance. This is our first event, but it’s going to be a gosh darn one.”

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.